New Camera!

[Fish_Whisperer]

I just bought a Bonica Sea Pix 5.25 Megapixel Digital Camera and plan on taking it on my next dive trip.

1. Is this a decent camera for a beginner?

2. Where/how do most people secure their cameras when they get ready to enter the water?

Thanks.

-Frank

 

[RonFrank]

I just bought a Bonica Sea Pix 5.25 Megapixel Digital Camera and plan on taking it on my next dive trip.

1. Is this a decent camera for a beginner?

2. Where/how do most people secure their cameras when they get ready to enter the water?

Thanks.

-Frank

I can not comment on the camera.

When I dive off a boat, I do my giant stride into the water, and then have the DM or crew hand me the camera.

I have a snappy/coiled/cordy thing that I can use to secure my camera to a dring, but I generally just use a wrist lanyard when diving.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Thanks, Ron. Mine has a lanyard, and I can connect it to a retractor on a D-ring, so that's no problem... Thanks!

 

[Ishie]

No clue on the camera.

I have the lanyard too, no retractor on it (had one break, though not with a camera attached to it), and then, since I have a huge handle on the camera, I typically keep it in one hand for added security.

When going off a boat, whether I'm doing a backroll or a giant stride, I have someone hand me down the camera so it doesn' get jostled. My camera is quite negative, so I'm VERY careful not to drop it.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Got it. Thank you.

 

[Sue Sue]

Hi Frank, Looks like an interesting camera? What is your opinion of it at this point? Sue B

 

[midwestdvr]

1. No opinion about the camera but you'll probably enjoy it.

2. When I do giant strides of a boat, I have somebody hand it to me (which sux when there's a current as I have to swim back to the boat to grab it. During backroll entry, I just hug it close to my body. I keep it on a coiled lanyard attached to one of my BC (now BP) d-rings.

 

[Warren_L]

I just bought a Bonica Sea Pix 5.25 Megapixel Digital Camera and plan on taking it on my next dive trip.

1. Is this a decent camera for a beginner?

2. Where/how do most people secure their cameras when they get ready to enter the water?

Thanks.

-Frank

Don't know this camera first hand, but off the specs, it looks pretty decent. Good depth rating as well as the ability to add 67mm filters and lenses. Sounds like it's got plenty to keep you busy. I have to concur with the others about the entry - I always have someone hand it down. I've seen on more than one occasion where someone has jumped in only to have the housing open or flood.

 

[LindaBluedolphin]

Like most everone has said I do a giant stride off and the DM hands me my camera, when I get back to the boat I hand my camera up, then I proceed to climb the latter.

As for the camera, don't know about it, I am still trying to decide what to buy, have been since about November. However, wouldn't you wanted to have researched if it were a good camera for a beginner before you bought it?

My problem in deciding is I am not looking in the high end market and I can't find anyone locally who owns anything in my price range (~$500 camera and housing) so I can look at it in person.

 

[gratefuljames]

Try an Olympus C-750 with a PT-018 housing (or anything along those lines), which you can hunt down on the internet for about $500 (for both). You wont get any National Geographic quality shots, but you'll do ok with that setup (which is what I use for fun).

On entry, it is not practical to think you'll always be able to make it back to the boat for a camera. As one person noted, backroll is easy, just hold the camera close to your body as you roll in. For a giant stride, hold it very close, but probably a little lower (more like over the stomach). Remember that you also have to hold onto your reg and mask, so it pays to get adept at doing that with one hand, although you can work out the camera in the crook of the elbow kind of thing as you go in as well. You just have to be careful to protect the camera from the impact (to avoid opening of housing, flooding, etc.), so crading your arm underneath it is a good idea.

Happy snapping!